Man In Work Van Shot And Killed In Reseda

A man in a work van was shot and killed Monday night by someone in a car on a street in Reseda. The shooting was reported at about 7:15 p.m. in the 7500 block of Jamieson Avenue, near Saticoy Street, in the San Fernando Valley community. The shooter left the scene in a black BMW sedan. The victim was described only as a 60-year-old man. Windows on the white work van were shattered. Officers found the victim on the street outside the van. No arrests were reported early Tuesday. The shooter was described as a man in his 20s last seen wearing black sunglasses and a white T-shirt, heading northbound on Jamieson Avenue, approaching Saticoy Street. A motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, police said. Anyone with information was asked to contact Valley Bureau Homicide detectives at 818-374-9550.  

NBC 4

LAPD Investigating Suspicious Shooting Death In Koreatown

Police are investigating a deadly shooting of a man in his 20s near Koreatown Tuesday morning. Around 11:55 p.m. officers got a report of an assault with a deadly weapon 516 Normandie Ave., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. When officers arrived at the scene they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. Los Angeles Fire Department personnel later pronounced the victim dead at the scene. Authorities said a distraught woman at the scene could be heard saying, "they killed him!" in Spanish. There was no information given about a possible suspect. Normandie Avenue will be closed between 6th St. and Wilshire Blvd. while officials continue to investigate the crime scene.

CBS 2

Woman Robbed, Stabbed Multiple Times In Chinatown; Witnesses Step In To Help

A woman in her 60s remains hospitalized Monday after she was robbed then stabbed multiple times in broad daylight in Chinatown, according to witnesses. It happened just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses say a man reportedly targeted the woman then robbed and later stabbed her. "The victim [fell down] on the ground ... she tried to hold on to her bag," said Chinese Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles Chairman Chester Chong. On Monday, Chong spoke with business owners and a woman who says she was with the victim, who happens to be her neighbor. According to Chong, the man tried to take the victim's purse and she tried to hold onto it, concerned not about money, but important, personal items. "Medical cards, ID, everything ... she got scared if she lost these documents, she cannot go to the clinic [or] anywhere," said Chong. Chong said the victim chased after the suspect. Some people who work in the area reported some drivers pulled over to help, and according to witnesses, many others tried to intervene.

ABC 7

Chileans Arrested In California Suburb Days After LAPD Forms Task Force To Counter Transnational Crime Ring

Police arrested three men from Chile on Friday in the quiet California suburban town of Irvine, just days after the Los Angeles Police Department formed a task force to address an international crime ring targeting luxury homes in the U.S. The arrests came after a recent spike in home robberies in Irvine, a relatively low crime area in Orange County that is about 40 miles south of Los Angeles. Irvine police officers had been conducting surveillance work when a "suspicious vehicle" near Boomer Canyon caught their attention. Police said there were three men inside the car who "were not from the area and appeared to have no reason to be in Irvine." The driver sped off when officers tried to stop them. Eventually, officers were able to stop the car and search inside. Officers found burglary tools, pet deterrent, shoe covers, and masks. "Based on the totality of circumstances, the trio appeared to be casing the area to commit residential burglaries and were arrested for conspiracy to commit burglary, providing false information to a police officer, and possession of burglary tools," Irvine police said in a statement. Police identified the three men as Julio Cordova-Martinez, 55, Ricardo Navarete-Loyola, 19, and Leopoldo Jara-Araya, 57. All three of them were Chilean nationals and booked at the Orange County Jail (OCJ).

Yahoo! News

Retail Theft Suspects Caught With Nearly $12K In Cosmetics

Three suspects believed to be involved in an organized retail theft ring were arrested Monday after officers caught them with nearly $12,000 in stolen cosmetics, the LAPD announced. The suspects took $11,750 worth of makeup from Walgreens and Target stores in the Mid-City and Silverlake areas Monday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department posted on Instagram. “Rampart Officers and Detectives responded and apprehended 3 suspects as they attempted to steal from another Walgreens in Echo Park,” the LAPD stated in the post. Images provided by police showed bags of cosmetics found in the trunk area of the suspects’ vehicle. What appeared to be hundreds of stolen makeup products were also displayed on tables. No further details about the arrest were provided but investigators said the suspects were wanted in connection to a string of prior organized retail thefts. 

KTLA 5

Grand Theft Auto In Westchester By Two Men, Suspects Remain At Large

Two men stole a truck today in Westchester, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Around 9 a.m. Monday, the department received a call of a grand theft auto at 9100 S Sepulveda Blvd, police said. When officers arrived, the black dodge ram was gone, according to police. The LAPD reported that there are limited details available regarding the suspects involved in the vehicle theft. No injuries were reported. 

Westside Current

Beverly Hills Therapist Charged For Distributing Child Pornography

A federal grand jury indicted a Beverly Hills therapist on Thursday for allegedly distributing child pornography. The US Department of Justice claims 49-year-old Ron Gad shared child sexual abuse material involving a pre-teen on the internet and shipped the material "in interstate commerce" in 2021. He has been charged with a single count of distribution of child pornography. Law enforcement first learned about Gad during an undercover operation where law enforcement posed as a 13-year-old girl. Investigators claimed he had sexually explicit online chats with the officer before driving 180 miles to San Luis Obispo. Prosecutors claimed he had arranged a meeting with the "girl" he was chatting with. Officers pulled over Gad as he drove to the public park where he scheduled the meet. While searching his vehicle, police found several digital devices that proved he was distributing child pornography, along with communications with suspected minors and internet searches related to sex with minors, according to the DOJ. The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office initially charged Gad in state court; however, the case was dismissed so he could be charged in federal court. 

CBS 2

Nearly 3,000 Pounds Of Methamphetamine Found In Carrot Shipment At U.S.-Mexico Border

It’s a good idea to wash carrots after they’re pulled from the ground because they might have some dirt on them. They don’t typically come with more than a ton of methamphetamine, but you can never be too careful. A 44-year-old truck driver is in federal custody after he allegedly tried to cross into the U.S. from Mexico at the Otay Mesa border checkpoint in San Diego with roughly 3,000 pounds of meth hidden amid a large shipment of carrots. The driver arrived in a commercial tractor trailer just before noon on March 17 with a valid border crossing card and a shipping manifest that said he was hauling carrots, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release. But a secondary inspection revealed suspicious packages hidden underneath the bunches of carrots — exactly 574 packages that tested positive for methamphetamine, according to officials. The meth and the truck were seized, and the driver, who was not identified, was turned over to the Department of Homeland Security for further investigation, officials said. The seizure was part of an ongoing operation at the border, dubbed Operation Apollo, focused on stopping fentanyl and other synthetic drugs from being smuggled into the U.S.

Los Angeles Times

Police Warn Of Spike In ‘Bank Jugging’ During Tax Season

Police are warning the public about “bank jugging” this tax season. “Jugging is a crime of opportunity where thieves look for people leaving banks or ATMs with large sums of cash and then follow them, hoping to find an opening to steal that money,” the Arlington, Texas, Police Department wrote in a Facebook post on March 20. Even though jugging isn’t a new crime, authorities are reminding people to remain alert — especially when cashing their refund checks, since criminals in these cases want to walk away with significant amounts of money. “As we move into the heart of tax season and folks start cashing their refund checks or withdrawing refund money from their bank accounts, we want to remind the public to stay vigilant!” the Arlington Police Department’s Facebook post stated. Jugging is a crime that’s happening from coast to coast. There have been dozens of cases from Texas to California to Virginia. Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, for instance, said they have been investigating at least 10 incidents that they’ve recorded since last April.

KTLA 5

Worker Rescued By LAFD In Van Nuys

A 39-year-old worker who injured himself Saturday on a third-floor scaffolding at an apartment building in Van Nuys was rescued by firefighters. The injury report at 7319 Hazeltine Ave., north of Sherman Way, was received at 4:41 p.m. Saturday, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. Firefighters were able to extend their aerial ladder 100 feet, allowing ground ladders and a two-rope harness system to successfully lower the man to safety, Humphrey said. The worker, who apparently suffered a lower chest injury from a nail gun, was transported to a hospital for treatment of his injury, he said.

MyNewsLA

WATCH: Woman Rescued From LA River In Studio City

A woman was hoisted out of the Los Angeles River on Sunday after she somehow fell into the water as a spring storm battered Southern California. Several first responders rushed to Studio City after they got a call about a river rescue. As the downstream flowed at about 15 mph, the woman was swept by the river while emergency personnel from the Los Angeles Fire Department attempted to save her. NewsChopper 4 was overhead the dramatic rescue and captured the moment a first responder bravely trekked the water to rescue the woman. One rescue team member was seen throwing a flotation device to the woman as the stream pushed her down. It appears she was unable to grab it or hold on to it, prompting another rescue team member to step in. With the support of a helicopter, the emergency respondent was lowered into the river and narrowly missed the woman. Seconds later, the rescue team member was able to grab onto the woman and both were safely lifted into the helicopter at about 5:40 p.m. The woman was taken to Dignity Health – Northridge Hospital Medical Center and treated for minor injuries and hypothermia.

NBC 4

Tuberculosis Cases Rising In California, And State Officials Are Sounding The Alarm

Tuberculosis cases are rising again in California, and health officials are urging those at higher risk, as well as doctors, to be alert for the disease, which can lurk in people’s bodies for years before becoming potentially deadly. The number of tuberculosis cases in 2023 rose by 15% in California compared to the previous year, the state Department of Public Health said. That’s the highest year-over-year increase since 1989, when it was tied to people co-infected with HIV. There were 2,113 cases across California last year; that’s about the same amount reported in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Seniors 65 and older had the highest percentage increase in cases between 2022 and 2023. Those at major risk for tuberculosis are people who have lived outside the U.S. where the TB rate is high, including most nations in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Caused by bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis disease is spread through the air. Unlike COVID-19 — in which infection can occur in minutes — a person would typically need to be exposed for hours to inhale enough TB bacteria to get infected, said Dr. Julie Higashi, director of the L.A. County tuberculosis control program.

Los Angeles Times

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.